Almost a year ago I was watching (on YouTube) the Late Show with Stephen Colbert. He and his pianist, Jon Batiste were talking and laughing, as usual! They mentioned the person who had more than a fair share of vowels in her name. I was intrigued and searched for Suleika Jaouad. She was offering “The Isolation Journals” as a way to reflect through the pandemic. I signed up to receive a daily writing prompt, but at the time I had no motivation to write…or when I did write, it was on scrap paper which I promptly recycled.
Now that I am writing almost daily, I decided to check out the latest prompt, “Greater than the Sum of Parts”, by Maura Kate Costello. She wrote about a palimpsest and her own thoughts about our lives as palimpsests. It got me thinking about the last time I tried to re-invent myself. A few years after my husband passed away I moved to a new city. The plan was to stop teaching private music lessons (after 37 years of trying to encourage and inspire young people to want to improve their skills) and spend even more time as a collaborative pianist, church organist and choir director. That went well for the first couple of years until the minister decided I was threat to his popularity and process of constructive dismissal ended with my resignation and months and years of regaining confidence. During that time I did take on a piano student whose teacher was to leave the country for 1 year.
That 1 year turned into 6, and the 1 student grew to 25. A year ago of course, all my performance and rehearsal gigs were cancelled — so my attempt at reinventing my life has gone full circle back to where it was. But this time it is with a difference. The pandemic and resulting online lessons, and online children’s choir rehearsals has taught me to rethink my priorities in teaching. Is there any reason to aim for perfection or extreme musicality in the student’s playing or singing, or is the purpose to instil confidence and a love of music and a love of learning? I don’t mind the isolation, and would rather stay home than take a risk at picking up any illness, but each time I go online to teach or to lead the rehearsal I end up more encouraged and reinvigorated.
Reflections 